A graduate program is a set of advanced academic experiences beyond the baccalaureate level which must be satisfactorily completed to warrant the award of a graduate degree such as a master’s or doctorate.
Graduate degree programs may generally be classified into two categories: those that prepare students mainly as scholars and researchers and those that prepare students for a profession. The objective of a research-oriented graduate degree program is to develop scholars – that is, students with skills necessary to discover or acquire, organize, and disseminate new knowledge. The objective of the professional graduate degree is to develop in students their competence in interpreting, organizing, and communicating knowledge and to develop the analytical and performance skills needed for the conduct and advancement of professional practice.
Central to the mission of Portland State University is the provision of high level of access to graduate education. The University’s mission specifically embraces "an appropriate array of professional and graduate programs especially relevant to the metropolitan area." Portland State registered over 5,000 graduate students in Fall 2004, more than any other institution of higher education in the state.
Portland State offers 52 master’s degree programs and 12 doctoral degrees, including three interdisciplinary PhD programs. Six Portland State schools and colleges offer professional programs, such as the Graduate Teacher Education Program, the MBA, the MSW, the MPH, the MPA, the Engineering master’s and doctorates, and others that together comprise two-thirds of the total graduate enrollment. Professional programs are designed to provide skills needed for entry and success in various professional segments of the Portland metropolitan community. Additionally, a variety of programs, such as the newly proposed PhD in Biology, are being developed in specific disciplines perceived to be critical to the development of the metropolitan area.
A listing of the University’s graduate programs, as well as program specific graduation requirements, is published in the 2003-2004 Bulletin (page 9-11). The table below also indicates Master’s degree requirements for a thesis and the other forms of culminating experiences.
Admissions and graduation requirements are also available on the graduate program website:
Graduate programs at Portland State offer high-quality research, teaching, and community-based learning and outreach to the metropolitan area, the state, region, national and international communities. Distance learning through the School of Extended Studies provides access to selected graduate programs and certificates throughout the state for lifelong learners.
The array of graduate programs at Portland State has shifted to accommodate the transformation in the regional economy from a natural-resource base toward industry, information technology, and knowledge. The importance of science and technology in the economic development of the region continues to increase.
A highly talented and diverse set of students engages in advanced studies at Portland State. Professional and graduate programs have increased their outreach efforts to recruit and retain high-quality students who may benefit from, and provide benefit to, their respective advanced learning opportunities. A number of targeted programs include examples like the Bilingual Teacher Pathways program, which supports the development of culturally specific teachers as role models for the region’s K-12 school systems.
In 1998, the Faculty Senate and Provost received the report of the Graduate Education Task Force. The task force observed that graduate and professional education programs are becoming increasingly important to Portland State, and correspondingly to the state and region.
The Task Force represented the strengths of Portland State graduate programs in local, regional, and increasingly global economies and cultures by noting the following points.
- In the economy, Portland State graduate programs increase capacity to create, attract, and retain quality industry.
- In public policy, Portland State programs increase capacity to identify regional strengths and build upon them.
- In education and other areas of social virtue, Portland State provides an array of opportunities for advanced learning.
- In business, the increasing importance of the master’s degree as a professional degree is encouraging individual commitments to intellectual and professional growth.
- Portland State’s reputation is increasingly based upon the quality of its graduate education and research activities, particularly in the strongest, most visible programs.
Many of the graduate programs that have developed over the past decade have been created based upon the expressed need and support of various constituent communities the University aims to serve. For example, many of the programs in engineering and technology fields were developed with the support and urging of Oregon’s Engineering and Technology Industry Council.
In its 1998 report, the Graduate Education Task Force concluded that graduate education at Portland State (a) is differentiated from undergraduate education, (b) operates with self-regulated, positive missions in the various academic units, and (c) demonstrates increasing influence in civic life in communities locally and around the world. Drawing upon successful examples in Portland State graduate programs, the Graduate Education Task Force highlighted key points to maintain and improve quality.
- Build on undergraduate preparation. Require evidence of excellence and other strengths in the undergraduate preparation of graduate students.
- Continue to integrate knowledge production and research in learning.Research and scholarship activities by faculty provide ideal opportunities for a learning environment, potentially with financial support, for graduate students to learn while working.
- Include a culminating experience. A thesis, dissertation, comprehensive examination, organizational experience, or professional presentation helps to integrate student ideas and materials in practice; and also provides a means to assess student competence.
- Assess students periodically to ensure the fit and appropriateness of the program.
In Spring 2001, the Graduate Council adopted a set of principles to evaluate new and existing graduate programs.
- Quality. Does the program possess the capacity to achieve prominence?
- Fit/Synergy. Does the program address an important need, and also fit and add to the existing character of the University’s graduate offerings?
- Feasibility. Can the University launch and sustain a program of distinction in this program area?
The Graduate Council, as established by the Faculty Constitution, includes 16 faculty members from the various instructional divisions involved in graduate education, and two student representatives. The three principles adopted by the Graduate Council have been incorporated into the Council’s regular review of Portland State graduate programs.
Review by the Graduate Council assures that graduate programs require greater depth of study and place increased demands on student intellectual or creative capacities than are expected from undergraduate programs. For courses offered at both graduate and undergraduate levels, the course proposal and syllabus must indicate how the expectations and evaluations of graduate students will differ from undergraduates. Graduate students often have additional reading assignments, and may have additional papers required, a graduate-only discussion section, responsibility for development and presentation of a segment of course materials, or other means of demonstrating advanced mastery of the course materials. Students may not take any course for both undergraduate and graduate credit.
The Graduate Council includes members from each of the involved schools and colleges to ensure that the level of expectations, curricula, and resources made available are significantly greater than those provided for master’s and baccalaureate programs. A differentiation of master’s and doctoral programs can be observed in requirements posted online at the program websites. In general, the master’s program will require significantly less coursework; higher standards of entry will apply to doctoral programs; and while the master’s program may require a thesis or project, the doctoral program will definitely require a dissertation, imposing a significantly more extensive and sophisticated research project.
The dissertation requirement for doctoral candidates ensures an in-depth research experience, guided by a dissertation committee primarily composed of full-time faculty members with specific expertise. The quality of this culminating experience is a primary difference between master’s and doctoral programs. Procedures for doctoral degree are available in the Bulletin (page 15) and also on the University's website.
Two examples illustrate how the different requirements for master’s and doctoral programs serve different student purposes.
- In the Graduate School of Social Work, the MSW is a fairly prescribed program that prepares individuals for either direct social work practice or for program administration. The PhD in Social Work, on the other hand, prepares students to assess social problems and issues, involving in-depth analysis and significant independent research in areas of their choice.
- In the Computer Science Department, the master’s degree requires 45 credits of coursework, may include some courses taken pass/no pass, and may be completed without a thesis, though the general recommendation is for the thesis option. The PhD, on the other hand, requires a minimum of 90 credit hours of coursework, all graded, and completion of a dissertation.
The mechanism of review for a new program differs substantially from quality assurance for an existing one. The two types of review are described separately below.
Program Creation
A department or other academic faculty unit begins the proposal process of a new graduate degree program. The proposal must be written in a specified format, and address issues prescribed by the State Board of Higher Education. The proposal is reviewed at multiple stages for adequacy on each of the 14 issue areas raised in the proposal format, and on the three principles articulated by the Graduate Council (see above).
Review begins in the departmental curriculum committee, and moves to the department as a whole, to the relevant dean, the University librarian, and the Graduate Council, which in turn reports to the Faculty Senate. If approved, the Senate recommends the program to the Provost to forward to the state system for review.
If further action is taken, the Provost will forward the program proposal to the state Provosts’ Council, which reviews programs on behalf of the Oregon University System. If approved, an external review by at least three notable scholars in the field (outside of Oregon) is conducted, following a format prescribed by OUS.
The results of that review, along with any institutional response, are reported to the Provosts’ Council, which decides whether or not to recommend approval for the program to the Oregon State Board of Higher Education (OSBHE), also known as the OUS Board. Final approval is granted by the Board. As a further check, the state requires notification to the Office of Degree Authorization, an independent state agency, which affords all private institutions of higher education an opportunity to raise any appropriate issues with the proposed degree program. Once the notification process has occurred and the OUS Board has approved, the program is effectively approved for implementation.
Existing programs undergo several review processes. Five years after an initial program approval, a follow-up review is required by OUS, again using a prescribed format. In addition, as a result of the Graduate Education Task Force report, Portland State initiated a system of formal review for graduate programs every three years, using the departmental programs as a whole as the unit of analysis. This review process has evolved into a system of departmental profiles, following a general format of issues designed by the Council of Academic Deans. Graduate programs are expected to provide additional data elements and narratives.
Nearly all of the graduate programs are also reviewed by a discipline-specific accreditation body, which assesses ongoing quality and suitability of a program (copies available in hard copy in resource room). The specialized/professional accrediting organizations that accredit programs at Portland State include:
Each review process undertaken by a graduate program at Portland State requires significant self-study, along with external review. The result often produces worthwhile suggestions for improvement.
Portland State University currently offers 10 doctoral programs. These are:
In 2004-2005, an additional program (Applied Psychology) was approved by the Oregon State Board of Higher Education and will begin in Fall 2005. A proposal for a PhD in Biology has been submitted for review through OUS, and is currently slated for visits by external site reviewers in Spring 2005.
Printer Friendly Format
